Most young people don’t know how to respond when a friend is hurting, so they either disappear (when they are needed most) or rush to fix the pain, accidentally making it worse.

You can change that.

The majority of youth will freeze because no one has ever shown them what to say or do.

Honestly, most adults freeze, too...

The Heartside Project exists to change that. It’s a growing resource for teachers, counselors, parents, coaches (and anyone else who raises or is in a position to influence young people). It’s built on a simple, research-informed idea: You don’t need to fix the sad. You just need to show up. Children and youth can learn this. Adults can teach it. When we do, we give kids something they’ll carry into every hard moment of their lives—theirs and others’… and we can help build a society that knows how to support grief well.

What you’ll find in the Heartside Magazine

Each weekly edition arrives with tools you can actually use…

The Front Porch: A short note from me to open each issue… nothing heavy, just a moment to catch up before we get to the rest.

Heartside Heroes: Real stories of young people [and the adults beside them] showing up well for someone who was hurting.

From the Framework: One piece of the Heartside Framework each week… foundational teachings worth returning to often.

Heartside Lesson Idea: A small teaching seed drawn from the Heartside Framework… an activity, a conversation, a reframing, or a practice you can bring into your classroom or home this week, and a link to the premium Heartside Lesson Plan.

Research… Translated: A finding from the research world, brought out of the journal and into everyday language, and a link to the premium Research… Explored.

Heartside Lens: Where we notice Heartside moments in the stories and culture around us… in books, movies, television, music, poems, essays, and more. What they get right, what they miss, and what they teach us about showing up.

The Back Porch: Where we sit down together at the end of each issue. Your space as much as mine… pull up a chair.

How this magazine works

The Heartside Magazine itself will always be free. Every issue, no paywall… ever.

Two companion offerings sit alongside the magazine and eventually make up a paid tier:

Heartside Lesson Plan: A fully prepared, 20-minute lesson for educators and parents… designed to teach or reinforce a Heartside Hero skill. Each lesson includes age-appropriate adaptations and variations for individuals, small groups, or full classrooms. The planning, differentiation, and printables are all done for you… and ready when you are.

Research… Explored: A closer look at the study behind this week's finding… how the researchers found what they found, what related research says, and how it might change your practice. For those who want to walk a little further into the research.

During our founding season, though, both of these are free for all Heartside Magazine subscribers as a thank-you to our earliest readers. Everything is available at no cost while the magazine finds its footing.

When the paid tier arrives, I’ll tell you at least a month ahead of time. The magazine stays free forever. If the Plan and Explored posts have become part of your weekly rhythm and you’d like to keep them, you’ll have the option to. If not, you’ll still have the magazine every week, exactly as you’ve come to know it.

Legacy Subscribers

A paid subscription in our startup phase is a very appreciated vote of support for our vital mission. Even when the Heartside Lesson Plan and Research… Explored sections move to the paid tier, your low subscription rate will be locked in as long as you are a member. Also, as legacy supporters, you will have the opportunity to shape our magazine and mission through exclusive polls, chats, and live meetings.

Legacy Subscribers pay $5/month or $50/year — locked in for life, even when subscription prices rise to $10/month or $80/year at the paywall launch.

The books

The Heartside Project also includes two books: Wendell’s Wag (a picture book about a boy named Leo who befriends his dog after the death of a beloved canine friend next door) and Raising Heartside Heroes (a companion book filled with research and strategies for the grown-ups who do the teaching). Both will be released soon. But this magazine and community are where the work lives week to week, and it will continue long after the books are on the shelves.

About me

I’m Jepper: wife, mother, grandma, youth leader, researcher, and educator. My background is in mathematics, with an MA in mathematics education. I’ve completed the doctoral coursework in Community Care and Counseling, specializing in Traumatology. My primary focus was (and is) resilience. Why do some people emerge from a traumatic experience or loss with post-traumatic growth while others slide into depression or post-traumatic stress? More importantly… what can we as individuals and as a society do to help?

The Heartside Project grew out of these questions.